DOG walkers, residents and holiday makers had a shock when they awake to a massive dragon’s skull on Charmouth Beach.

With massive teeth and a spine that disappeared into the sand of the Jurassic Coast beach, passersby could be forgiven for thinking they had stepped back in time to the land of the dinosaurs or walked into a fantasy realm.

The massive skull that measures 40ft long by 8ft wide and stands at over 9ft tall, was in fact a sculpture installed overnight by movie and TV streaming service Blinkbox.

The stunt was part of celebrations by the company, to launch the third installment of HBO's epic fantasy series Game of Thrones on its service.

A team of three sculptors took over two months to design, construct and paint the skull.

The TV series follows the conflicts of the families of Westeros as they battle to claim the Iron Throne.

The dramatic work was inspired by a memorable scene in the series which sees one character, Arya Stark, discover a dragon skull in the dungeons of King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms.

At this point in George RR Martin's fantasy story, the dragons are supposedly long dead, but it hints strongly at their return, which is a developing theme in the story.

Ben Ayers from blinkbox said: “Game of Thrones is easily the most talked about TV show of the moment. We wanted to mark its arrival with a spectacle every bit as dramatic as this amazing series.”